While many around the league believe his adversarial relationship with Paul Westphal had a lot to do with the Sacramento Kings’ decision to fire the coach just seven games into the season, some teammates have noticed a change for the better in DeMarcus Cousins’ game.

"He's a new player," Kings point guard Tyreke Evans said, according to the Sacramento Bee. "I'm happy for him. He's done a great job of just going out there and playing and helping us. No arguing with nobody on the team. Just staying focused, and I'm happy for him."

DeMarcus Cousins is happier, and that's a good thing for Sacramento. (AP Photo)

There has been an uptick in Cousins’ production since Westphal’s departure. He has averaged 18.3 points and 13.5 rebounds over the last four games, compared to 16.4 points and 11.2 boards before the change. He grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in Wednesday night's win in Toronto.

New Kings coach Keith Smart is pushing Cousins to play more minutes—he played 39 against the Raptors.

"If he wants to be an elite player, he has to pay the price of conditioning, and this is all part of the process," Smart said, per the Bee. "He had it in him to rebound the ball tonight, and because of that, it put him in an active mode, and I'm happy with that."

Cousins, meanwhile, said of his spat with Westphal, "I'm just trying to put all the silly stuff behind. I'm trying to help my team win, and at the end of the day, that's all I want to do."